SOUTH African all-rounder Mark Temple is horrified that 'fiend' Hansie Cronje has emerged as match-fixing's central character.

But the Barnoldswick professional is pleased that Cricket's betting scandal has been brought out into the open.

Temple admits that the whiff of match-rigging had been in the air for some time.

"Cricketers were aware that there was money in the game, but it wasn't talked about," he said.

However, all that changed when former South African captain Cornje admitted taking money from an Indian bookmaker to influence games.

And the King Commission currently on-going in South Afrcia has revealed more widespread corruption with Cronje the central character in match-fixing allegations going back to 1995.

Like most of his countrymen, Temple couldn't believe that Cronje was guilty of match-fixing when the allegations first surfaced in April.

However, his views have now changed as Cronje has emerged as the biggest fish in the scandal that has rocked cricket.

"Hansie Cronje was always the epitomy of South African cricket and everything that's good about it," Temple added. "To find out that he has quite obviously been involved with this for a long time is a tremendous let-down for all South Africans, that someone who had been held in such high regard turns out to be such a fiend."

Temple believes Cronje's approach to younger Test players like Herschelle Gibbs, Peter Strydom and his Boland provincial team-mate Henry Williams in an effort to get them to throw games was particularly distasteful.

And he hopes that now Cronje and the other fixers are flushed out, cricket will regain its image as whiter than white.

"I would like to see that happen. I'm glad that it's come out but sad it was Hansie Cronje.

"At first I couldn't believe it but it's obvious that he was deeply invovled with gambling and if that's the case he has to be pushed aside," said Temple, who is confident that future matches will now be above suspicion. "Everyone will be too scared to get involved," he added.

Barnoldswick travel to Cherry Tree tomorrow, hoping to make further ground on a leading pack which includes the Blackburn outfit.

Padiham face a tricky trip to Earby while Great Harwood and Ribblesdale Wanderers will be hoping for home wins against Whalley and Settle respectively.

Tomorrow's fixtures: Baxenden v Blackburn Northern, Cherry Tree v Barnoldswick, Clitheroe v Oswaldtwistle Immanuel, Earby v Padiham, Edenfield v Read, Great Harwood v Whalley, Ribblesdale Wanderers v Settle